They Kiss at the End
by darkbeetlebot
Summary: After a long night of witch-hunting, Homura decides to escort an injured Madoka home.


It must be midnight, already. The night's witch hunts flew by, especially given the immense danger they had found themselves in. Sayaka, heavily fatigued from the battle, was escorted home by Mami who also suffered a few blunders. Meanwhile, a particularly exhausted Homura (glasses version) conceded to being taken by Madoka who persistently insisted.

As they walk down the street, they carry each other on their shoulders, both looking worse for wear.

Homura speaks up for the first time in a while, awkwardly but not as badly as her first incarnation, "Are you sure your arm doesn't hurt? It looked like you broke it." She points towards her right arm, which hangs lazily to the side.

Madoka waves it off, "No, no; I'm okay, really! I can fix it later, so..." She tries to find the words to round the sentence, but only trails off into more silence.

The two continue to walk down the nearly pitch-black road with only the light of street lamps to guide them. As hard as she might try, Homura can't quite make out the stars in the sky through the incandescent lights. Despite that, she still looks up to find some solace from the darkened surroundings. Still, she finds her eyes lingering from the light a bit too often. Almost blinding, but comforting when they illuminate Madoka's face; the dark comforting when she can only feel her. In a strange way, not unlike the warmth of a fireplace in the midst of winter.

Madoka breaks the silence and Homura's train of thought, "Mom's going to be so mad..."

Homura jerks her head a little too quickly, then asks, "Why?"

Madoka absently wavers side to side, "It's really late, and on top of that I'm bringing you home. I never did call her, either..." She looks down, eyes tiredly falling halfway while she wears a fake grin.

Homura clings more tightly, "There's no need to worry. I'm right here, for you." She smiles at her.

Madoka can't help but raise her eyebrows and look back, grin curling up into a slight blushing smile. She rubs back, "You're too cute."

They both share a quiet chuckle. Soon, Madoka comes to a stop and startles Homura. "We're here." she says, motioning towards her house. The lights are all off.

Homura nods softly, "Let's go, then." And just as she says that, they begin to feel the telltale pattering of rain atop their heads and shoulders. "...And just in time, too."

Madoka giggles while the two quickly run inside. Luckily, she keeps a spare key on-hand at all times. Nobody seems to even be here to greet them. They walk into the kitchen first, but not even her mother is there. Pure darkness. Pure silence, except the sound of the rain clashing against the roof and windows.

They can barely see a few feet in front of them and stay locked together, still silent by themselves. The entire house, asleep. They tread quietly up the stairs, Madoka leading by the hand. Her room, too, is utterly soaked in darkness. She doesn't bother switching the light on and simply leads Homura inside and to the edge of her bed where they both sit and practically collapse in exhaustion.

And, just as soon as she had sat down, Homura jumps right back up and announces with prominent nervousness, "Well, I should be going home, too! Goodnight, Mad—" but before she can even finish the sentence, Madoka grabs her by the wrist and tugs on her.

"No." she insists "You're staying." She pulls Homura back onto the bed with absolutely no effort.

Though confused, Homura submits, "Oh...okay. But why...?"

Madoka fidgets around slightly, making Homura take note of her mixed grab-bag of expressions ranging from anxious to embarrassed; both and more literally shadowed to the point of minor ambiguity.

In the end, she decides to say with a slight tone of doubt or else uncertainty, "Well, I just feel like I can be comfortable around you." She smiles slightly while Homura's expression grows visibly more curious by the second. Madoka continues, "I've known Sayaka for a lot longer, but I never felt like this around her. Even if she is touchy, it just feels like when mom or dad get that way. Mami is nice and really pretty, but she makes me feel..."

"Uneasy?" Homura finishes for her.

"Yeah... But Homura, you're...special, you know? I've never had a friend like you, before." She raises her good hand to pat Homura on the shoulder, "You're pretty like Mami, cool like Sayaka, and..." She hesitates to say anything else, as if she can't quite find the words. She makes a painful grimace at her inability to think of what to say, "...I don't really know... You're just special, okay?"

In the meantime, Homura is giving her a thousand-yard stare with a blush of flattery spreading from both cheeks, across her nose. "Yeah..." is all she manages to say.

Madoka pats her forehead hard enough to snap her out of it, "Hey, I can see you. What's wrong?"

Homura blinks a few times, then looks to both sides before staring back at Madoka, "Sorry. I spaced out at the end." Of course, she immediately tries to change the subject, "Do you need help with your arm?"

"Eh?" Madoka says. "Oh, I totally forgot about that!" she picks the mostly limp limb up and presents it to her.

"Honestly, how do you forget about a broken arm?" Homura groans, facetiously teasing her. It earns a humble smile. They both proceed to pull out their soul gems and hold them together, beginning the healing process. A dim light of a mix between violet and pink lights up the small space around them just enough so that they can both see each others' faces much better.

They both take the opportunity to briefly glance at each other and sharing a smile, each shined on by their respective color. Homura rests her head on Madoka's shoulder, sighing contently. Madoka flinches at first, but soon relaxes and leans to the side as well. She comments, "Even though my arm hurts, this is kind of nice. Nobody has ever been this gentle with me but mom and dad. It's..."

Homura jumps in again, "With this soft light in the middle of a dark room and just the two of us like this... it's _magical_ , isn't it?" She grins at Madoka, but to herself.

Madoka starts to grin and giggle. Homura had already made the same joke in timelines past, but it seems to never grow old because of that reaction. She calms down shortly and continues, "Hey, does this feel a little...what's the word? When you do something that you haven't in a long time and it feels really good to be reminded of it? Like something nice that you wish still existed."

"Nostalgic?" Homura guesses.

"Yeah..." Madoka agrees "...This feels 'nostalgic'. I wonder why."

While she smiles, Homura loses hers. Her expression sets on some sort of melancholic worry. She clings onto Madoka more tightly, removing her glasses and tossing them onto the nearby desk.

Madoka jumps slightly and turns her attention, "Homura?"

"I'm okay." she murmurs while nuzzling in closer.

But Madoka knows better, as she sees Homura's soul gem suddenly darken more than it should from just the healing. She narrows her eyes at it tenderly. She takes her own away and pushes Homura's back. The latter sits up and tries to ask, "Madoka...?"

"I'm okay." she insists. "It still hurts a little, but I can move it, now." She demonstrates by lifting it up and down easily, granted with a wince. Homura rightfully isn't convinced, but accepts it anyways.

Madoka continues, "Hey, I'm going to get something for us. Wait here, okay?" Homura agrees hesitantly. The moment that Madoka leaves, she finds herself having curled into fetal position on the bed.

Meanwhile, Madoka makes her way towards the steps, minorly stumbling about in the dark. Then, down the steps one small sideways step at a time until she arrives at the vaguely lit kitchen. Turning, she inches towards the refrigerator with the utmost stealth.

" **Madoka.** " commands her mother, standing right behind her, from across the room. It's impossible for Homura to have not heard it as well, but she doesn't seem to be curiously poking out as expected.

Madoka slowly turns around with a carton of milk in her one good hand. "M-Mom." she stammers.

"You're late." her mother states, slowly walking towards her, in her nightgown. "I thought I heard the door open, but I wanted to believe you were just in your room this whole time."

Madoka gulps, nervously placing the milk on the counter and instinctively grasping her other shoulder, "I...uh..."

"I told you to call me if you stay out late, but this is just too much. It's almost one in the morning!" Junko tries to keep her voice down, but can't help some stern yelling.

Madoka looks away, "Sorry..."

Her mother sighs. "What's got you staying out so late? You know how much it makes us worry." She comes closer and gently pats her daughter's head.

Madoka tries in vain to answer cryptically like Homura is so good at, "It's just...something I have to do."

Junko isn't satisfied with that answer, yet doesn't press further, "I don't want to have to give you a strict curfew. I know you're not a delinquent or something like that. At least remember to call, okay?"

Sufficiently ashamed and at least a little inspired by her mother's understanding, she gives a slight smile. "Okay." she agrees. Her mother comes in for a one-handed hug to seal the deal, only for Madoka to squeak in pain, just enough to be audible.

"What was that?" she asks confusedly.

"What?" Madoka feigns ignorance.

"That... You squeaked."

Madoka internally panics, _"She heard it! This is bad; she can't know about my arm! I just need to...cut off the pain!"_ She tries particularly hard to, but isn't used to the technique, so her legs nearly buckle on the spot from a lack of sensation.

"E-Eh? Madoka!" Junko also panics, crouching down to grab her.

"It's fine." Madoka insists, gathering the strength to stand back up easily. "I'm okay. Just...a little weak. I'm really hungry!" She internally congratulates herself, _"Two birds with one shoe!"_

"I'd say so," Junko agrees "you missed dinner. And dessert. The leftovers are in the fridge." She nods her head to the side, towards it.

Madoka nods, "I saw." Of course, that's not what she's after.

"Need any help?" Junko offers.

To this, she immediately declines, "No, that's okay. I can do it myself."

Junko smiles, slowly turning back and getting back to bed, "Right. You're not going to be a kid, soon. Goodnight, Madoka."

"Goodnight." she calls back softly. Waits for her to completely disappear from view before she reconnects to her soul gem completely, and the mild pain comes back. She groans in exasperation, "That was...close." She proceeds to rummage about the kitchen for a few sweet things.

Back in Madoka's room, Homura is lying sideways in the bed, curled up and thinking to herself, _"I'm...special? Special like a piece of art, or like a friend? Well, she said 'friend', so what else is there?"_ She sits in the dark and ruminates on this, trying to come up with something that could be considered special as far as people go.

" _Well, there was that one teacher in that catholic school when I was younger, but... I think she liked me more than I liked her. More like a tutor. That's not too special. There was the journal I had, but I haven't seen that in a long time. A special friend, like..."_

She tosses around the bed repeatedly, rolling onto her stomach eventually and pouting with her inability to grasp the concept of being considered "special" in some way. Not a single thing comes to mind that isn't immediately doubtful, and not a single morsel of confidence in herself is left after the process. All she can think about now is Madoka, herself.

" _She's just too nice. Too sweet. It's like eating a spoonful of sugar."_ She shivers at the idea, both out of intimidation and curiosity. _"I don't think I've met anyone like her before. Even those doctors and nurses were just being courteous; I know that, now. But, why is she so nice to me? I'm not 'special' enough for that. But...she is. I've been horrible to people, but she never changed like that. She never could..."_

She turns over again, this time meeting eyes with Madoka's huge plush toy. "Hi." is her first word to it. She lazily narrows her eyes on it and grabs ahold slowly, taking it to her chest. "She's sleeps with you a lot, doesn't she?" she asks it.

" _I can smell her usual scent on it. Must be the shampoo."_ Homura guesses. _"But...I wish I had something like this. Something soft... Madoka's lap is soft. And warm..."_ She starts to fantasize about the sensation of being surrounded by such comforts as that, even going a bit deeper into it, _"Every time she's hugged me, it's been nice. So...good. Every bit of her is like that. Like a big marshmallow."_

She starts to hug the plush harder while thinking about those past times. _"Soft. Like her lips...why does she have to talk so close that I can see it? It's so tiny. Could you even fit a..."_ She stops herself short of actually thinking the words, but certainly imagines the image. She instinctually fidgets and licks her lips.

" _She's just so..."_ she begins to think, but her thoughts are interrupted by Madoka intruding telepathically.

"Homura, help!" she says.

Homura jumps up and looks around the room for a moment before realizing it's in her head. She thinks back, "What's wrong?"

"I didn't think this through! Come to the kitchen!" she says.

Homura sighs and leaps off the bed, heading towards the door and down the steps hastily. There, she finds the currently crippled Madoka attempting to pick up a tray of two glasses of milk and a bunch of cookies with only one hand. "Help!" she whispers loudly.

Homura leaps to her aid in a moment, taking the entire tray, "Here. Let's hurry."

Madoka nods, "Go slow! The cups are hard to balance."

Homura smiles back at her as she turns to go back. "I've got it." she insists. Finally, they head back up at a snail's pace and slide the tray onto the ground just beside the bed.

"So this is what you were getting?" Homura asks for lack of a better conversation topic. Both of them slide onto the side of the bed together.

"I know, it's stupid." Madoka admits. "I don't have friends over here very often. I always wanted to have something like this."

"What about Sayaka?" Homura immediately questions.

"I always went over to _her_ house." Madoka clarifies.

"Oh. Hitomi?" Homura guesses again.

"She always insisted on having us as guests."

"Hmm..." Homura hums as she picks up a cookie and bites into it.

At the same time, Madoka picks up the glass of milk and takes a sip, but then stops herself and tries to reach for a cookie, only realizing the broken arm is still broken in that moment.

"Ah..." she grunts, about to put the glass down before Homura taps her on the shoulder and holds out the cookie she bit off of. Madoka smiles at her help and bites it as well, like a pet eating out of someone's hand. She takes another sip and giggles at Homura with blushed cheeks.

Homura smiles back courteously, then goes to finish off the cookie. But then, the cognitive lag seems to catch up with her as she realizes what she just did. Mid-bite, too. From just the thought of an indirect kiss, she too blushes. It doesn't deter her; she finishes it like nothing happened.

She desperately wants to ask what Madoka meant by "Special person" from earlier, but knows that she'll just give the same answer. "I don't know," the dreaded phrase that no doubtful ponderer wants to hear from another person. It means going nowhere, and from standing still, that isn't a very good thing. Nevertheless, she tries to think of something to talk about in the depth of this silence.

Yet, Madoka beats her to it with something as simple as, "Thank you."

"Thank you?" Homura wonders.

"For helping me." She stares down at the ground, avoiding eye contact but smiling and resting her eyes. She catches her thoughts and adds, "With the arm, you know...and..." She trails off.

Homura wants to ask what she was going to say, but can't quite find the courage to do so. She simply dismisses it as nothing and replies, "You're welcome. Really, any time I can be of use—"

"You've never had any friends, have you?" Madoka asks out of the blue, her smile having faded as Homura spoke. She turns her head up and looks her in the eyes.

"Uh..." Homura hesitates. "I..." She wants to lie, but can't seem to quite do it in front of Madoka. "...No. I never had any friends before I moved here, besides a few teachers and doctors. But they were just..."

"Not really friends, right?" Madoka finishes.

"Yeah." Homura confirms. "You're my first first. You're..." She hesitates again, trying to think of the right word to describe her feelings. Then, it finally clicks:

"You're special. That's what you meant by that, isn't it?"

Madoka looks slightly surprised for some reason, but the weird look she gives slowly morphs into a much nicer, full grin. She puts her glass down and curls into fetal position with her head on her knees, still looking at Homura.

"Hm?" Homura hums inquisitively. She puts hers down and repeats the same motion.

"That was cute." Madoka giggles, unable to contain her glee. She pats the empty spot right beside her as best she can. "Hey, let's finish this thing."

Homura grins back at her and happily scoots closer, pull out her soul gem in the process. The two continue the arm-healing process over the next several minutes. In the meantime, Homura slowly feeds her cookies and milk.

Eventually, it's finally in working condition. As she lifts it up and down, Homura asks, "Does it hurt?"

"No." Madoka shakes her head. She puts her gem away and sighs, "Thanks, again."

"Like I said—" Homura tries to repeat herself.

"Homura." Madoka stops her. "You don't need to say all that. Don't you know it hurts when you talk about yourself like that?"

Homura tilts her head, "Eh?"

"You keep saying you want to be 'of use' to me. I don't want to use you, Homura." Madoka explains.

Were it not for the excess confusion, Homura would be burning up from ear to ear. Only, right now it's just a light blush. She tries to speak again, but only ends up stammering between possible words to start with.

Madoka continues instead, "It's like nobody's ever loved you enough to not care about that before..." Her voice starts to crack, and her eyes tear up. "But that's not true, Homura." She reaches her repaired arm out and gently touches Homura's hand.

"What?" Homura cluelessly blurts out. She responds in kind as Madoka starts to grasp her hand tightly.

"You can be cool, and cute, and pretty; nice, and gentle. You're stronger than everyone else; I know it! And how can you be so smart but so stupid?"

"But..." Homura quietly argues "I should be saying that. You're all of those things!"

"That's what I'm talking about, Homura." Madoka blinks hard a few times, shedding a few tears. "Do you think you can't be those things, too?"

Homura averts her gaze and stares down at the bed. She stays quiet: all the answer Madoka needs. She leans in and rests her head on Homura's shoulder, embracing her fully.

"Homura, I..." She squeezes tighter, unable to find the words to speak. Homura, though personally shocked and unable to properly react, manages to hold onto her just as tightly.

She's reminded of that soft feeling she was reminiscing on earlier. This is the same, but with some other feeling mixed in that she can't quite put her finger on. "What...are you doing?" is the only thought she manages to put into words. Though, plenty more come to mind which she just can't courageously utter.

Finally, Madoka finds some way to explain it, "You're...special. I want to make you happy. I want to show you everything you've never had. One part of me just wants to hold you like this forever and never let go."

Suddenly, both of their hearts start to beat faster, in sync, like a duet of strings. The closer they draw each other in, the more similar each beat becomes, until both feel like they're about to explode. Homura starts to cling more tightly onto her, nuzzling her head into her shoulder far more deeply than before. She can barely think a straight thought, much less speak one. All she can do is choke up at the current event.

Unable to say it loudly, Madoka whispers, "I love you, Homura. I love you like nobody else does."

And finally, Homura's mind starts running a mile-a-minute, filling with sporadic thought after sporadic thought, unable to properly process what she just heard. Eventually, it defaults to the oblivious defense. "I love you too." she says with a suspicious level of ease and lack of embarrassment.

Madoka sighs and slightly loses her mood. She backs up halfway out of the hug and asks rhetorically, "Why do I get the feeling that you still don't understand?"

No response. She expected as much, and sighs twice in a row. To show her point, she pulls back in part-ways and says, "Here... Let me show you. Look."

Homura looks away.

"At me." Madoka commands.

She looks at her solidly, this time. Well, more like stares directly into her eyes, exaggerating the feeling. Madoka just sits there for a minute and stares before finally commenting, "I love your eyes, too."

Homura gulps practically trembling by now, "Madoka, you're scar—"

Before she can finish that sentence, Madoka shushes her and places one hand on the side of her head, caressing it gently and slowly.

"Wait..." Homura timidly tries to stop her. It's no use; she's not stopping.

Madoka gulps as well, then closes her eyes and comes in slowly, pressing her chest up against Homura's and pressing their lips together without much effort. The entire time, both of them are shaking and burning red. Homura has her arms flung into the air in the moment, but gradually lowers them back down and pulls her in closer. Meanwhile, Madoka tightens her grip and pulls herself up more.

" _It's soft."_ Homura thinks. _"It's just like I thought, but...better? And...really..."_

" _Wet."_ they both think in unison.

Meanwhile, Madoka internally panics, _"I-I'm actually doing it! Oh my god, I'm kissing her! I'm kissing Homura! And not on the cheek or the head, or the hands; the lips! We're... I-It feels amazing, like... I don't know! I... I want to go deeper, but will she let me?"_

To test the waters, she opens up a little and prods with her tongue, which easily goes past Homura's lips and sends a quake-like shiver through both of their bodies. Homura reacts violently, nearly kicking both Madoka and the side of the bed at the same time, but ultimately accepting the advance. Though, she still timidly keeps her mouth shut.

" _Was that her...tongue!?"_ Homura thinks. _"She wants to put it...in there? Come on, you're going to give me a heart attack! Just... Oh, god, this is too much! I won't be able to control myself if this keeps up!"_

And as she thinks, Homura gets slowly pushed into the bed until she's lying down, Madoka completely on top and dominating her very will. And yet, as she continues to persistently prod, she pushes one too many buttons. In a single moment, Homura does let her in finally. But the sudden and alien feeling of their tongues intermingling throws Homura into such a spastic fit that she immediately clamps down on Madoka's entire body. Not just arms around her back, but she wraps both legs around her waist and pulls them in like _a_ clamp.

Madoka releases their kiss the moment she gets nearly crushed and yells, "Homura!"

Homura stops losing her mind for a second and stares at her, "H-Huh?"

"It's...tight." she says simply. "Your grip."

It takes a moment, but Homura finally registers it and notices how she reacted. "I... My legs..." she tries to reason with herself, but ends up just getting flustered and anxious.

Madoka calms her down, "It's okay. It's okay, Homura. Just...relax. Don't worry about anything." She slowly caresses Homura's cheek to prove the point, then (also) slowly goes back in and locks lips with her.

This time, Homura tries to restrain herself a bit and doesn't nearly crush her to death. Both of them grab each others' heads and pull them in closer; Madoka manages to lift Homura up into her lap and continue upright. Both lock onto the other so hard and so thoroughly that before even a minute has passed, they need to break to gasp for air.

Homura pants and manages to speak between gasps, "I-I'm melting..."

Madoka nods and rubs against her neck, also hyperventilating, "It's amazing, isn't it?" Homura nods, to which she responds, "I love you."

Despite still having trouble saying it, Homura does her best, "I-I... I really...looo-looove you too!"

And they go at it again, for another minute before repeating the process.

"Breathe. Breathe, Homura." Madoka says, rubbing the back of her partner's head.

Homura slows down her breathing, but latches onto her even harder than before. "Madoka... I can't..." She collapses her head onto Madoka's and rubs against it slowly.

"Wait... One more." Madoka insists, pushing Homura back into the bed and pressing another kiss onto her. Finally, she collapses to the side and clings onto Homura's arm, nuzzling her cheek against it. Homura turns over as well, gently grasping Madoka's arm.

They stare at each other, gradually coming closer and interlocking their legs, holding each other by the waist. Their lips meet again for a brief second, and then again, and again. Once more, their hearts start to beat rapidly to the point of exhaustion.

"Homura?" Madoka whispers.

"Yeah?" she replies.

"Can we sleep together?" She grins expectantly.

Homura grins back and answers enthusiastically without thinking, "Yes!" She very nearly squeaks.

They both giggle and kick the covers down and over themselves, crawling underneath and excitedly cuddling each other. Then, Madoka remembers, "Oh, the cookies!"

Homura shushes her and leaps out for a moment to put them on her desk, then hops right back in. "They can wait." she says.

They stare at each other again, blushes intensifying. "You're okay with sleeping in our uniforms?" Homura asks.

"I don't wanna get up and change. I just wanna stay like this..." Madoka whispers, trailing off at the end.

"Yeah..." Homura agrees. They snuggle into each other as deeply as they can while remaining comfortable, and just stay like that. She adds to that, "Goodnight, Madoka."

"Goodnight." Madoka replies. "I love you."

Homura shivers blissfully, "I love you, too."

Finally, they begin to rest, and are asleep beside each other in minutes. Homura's nightmares took a break that night.


End file.
